Redshirt senior running back Chris Rainey’s 162-yard effort on Saturday once again showed that he is turning into a one-man gang for the Gators’ offense. With four touchdowns in two games, he has accounted for nearly half of the team’s end zone trips and approximately one-third of their offensive yardage. Muschamp was, once again, impressed with Rainey’s output but said it is not coming as much of a surprise to him.

“Since I’ve been at the University of Florida, I’ve watched a guy who is extremely competitive; he’s a great practice player. You ought to come watch a practice – you know, if we ever open it up. It may not happen and he’s a senior,” he joked. “He is extremely electric with the ball in his hands and a lot of fun to watch. You watch him compete in practice – he blocks hard in practice – he does everything that you want a good football player to do to contribute to your football team.

“He brings a certain energy to the football player. He’s done everything we’ve asked. He’s worked hard. He’s competitive, he’s tough and God’s blessed him with an awful lot of ability. [...] You see certain guys that have a certain bounce about themselves every day in practice. Chris has that. He positively affects everybody in the organization. A guy that’s really passionate about what he does. He likes football, really enjoys playing football, and I’m glad he’s a Gator.”

REMEMBERING 9/11

Florida honored America during the game by commemorating September 11th with a pre-game video, halftime band tribute, ribbons painted on the orange stadium walls and in-game announcements but nothing was more stirring than watching cheerleaders and players run onto the field with American flags before the game began. Muschamp said that everyone who carried a flag has/had a relative in the military.

Those players included sophomore defensive tackle Dominique Easley, Brown, redshirt junior linebacker Lerentee McCray, sophomore safety Matt Elam, junior left tackle Xavier Nixon, freshman CB Loucheiz Purifoy and freshman S Jabari Gorman. Additionally, sophomore fullback Jesse Schmitt (who got a carry in the game), will be a commissioned second lieutenant upon graduation.

“9/11 affected us all in different ways. Certainly a very irrational occurrence that happened – very difficult to deal with – so I wanted to pay our respect to those people,” Muschamp said. Nixon also spoke about what it was like to carry the flag out of the tunnel. Flag: “It feels great and prideful. I felt good,” he said. “I saw my mom’s face and it almost brought tears to my eyes because I’m very proud of my parents.”

PENALTIES A MAJOR CONCERN

Through two games, the Gators have accounted for 18 penalties for 120 yards (not counting yardage lost due to plays being called back). Muschamp was aggravated with the fact that the team committed nine penalties for 65 lost yards on Saturday and let it be known that would be a point of education this week.

“We had a miscommunication one series on a call on third down – it’s not what we wanted to be in. We had some penalties that put us behind. I believe we finished the game with nine penalties – too many penalties,” he said. “We had offsides defensively in critical situations, especially third down – disappointing. Discipline issue – penalties, and you can’t afford to have those. You can’t put yourself behind the sticks offensively, especially in the red zone when the pass zone is condensed and it’s tougher to run the football and then people outnumber you in the box. We’re going to go back and look at it and make the corrections we need to make.”

BURTON SEES THE FIELD, SUCCEEDS AS A RUNNER

Having left the season opener early due to a bruise, sophomore RB Trey Burton came on strong in Florida’s second contest, rushing for 46 yards on just a handful of carries and accounting for a touchdown as well. Burton came in as a power back and also took some Wildcat snaps, including one he ran in for a score. “Most importantly it gives Rainey and Demps a break,” he said of his performance on Saturday. “They don’t have to be in every single play. Thankfully Coach [Charlie] Weis is giving me the opportunity to play running back and I really enjoy it.”

Muschamp said he was pleased with what Burton is able to accomplish with his versatility. “I think you see him line up in the slot, you see him line up at fullback, you see him line up at halfback. He’s really good in protection. He’s an outstanding receiver,” he said. “You saw him tonight running the football, getting his pads downhill. It provides for us to get a bigger back in the game with the same personnel grouping on the field with taking a Chris or a Jeff and putting them in the slot with some of our one-back stuff. He’s just a really good player. Football comes very easy to him – he gets it, he understands it. Really happy he’s a Gator.”

RED ZONE EFFICIENCY STILL A CONCERN

The Gators may have scored every time they entered the red zone on Saturday, but Weis was visibly upset on the sideline because Florida failed to convert each trip into a touchdown. Not only did some penalties push UF back, miscommunications and badly executed plays forced the Gators to kick more field goals than they want. Considering Weis believes kicking a field goal in the red zone is a failure, Florida’s offense has a long way to go to be successful in his eyes.

“We moved the ball the whole first half, we just got in the red zone and you just can’t have those critical errors in those situations. It’s demoralizing for an offense to kick field goals in the red zone,” Muschamp explained. “You want to leave with points regardless, that’s the first thing, but when you get down there, you got to put seven on the scoreboard, especially with where we’re heading.

“That’s something we got to get corrected. And it’s disappointing. If they make a good play defensively, we can live with that. We don’t like it, but we can live with it. But when you shoot yourself in the foot, that’s what you can’t [have]. And that’s what we did tonight.”

TURNOVER FOUND, PASS RUSH NOT SO MUCH

Elam ripping the ball out for the first fumble recovery of his career also resulted in the Gators’ first turnover of the year – more than six quarters into the 2011 season. Junior LB Jon Bostic said after the game that it was nice to get the monkey off the unit’s back, but he agreed with Muschamp, who said that one is not nearly enough. “We want to get three. Your chances of winning a game go to 90 percent when you get three turnovers,” Muschamp said. “We just preach over and over again – the game is called ‘football’ for a reason. It’s all about the possession of the ball.”

Florida failed to register a sack on Saturday and the front seven continue to struggle getting consistent pressure on the opposting quarterback. UAB did have a veteran offensive line in the game, but UF must improve in that area overall if they want to win SEC games. Muschamp said he was not so much concerned about the sacks as he is about players hitting the quarterback.

“The sacks are going to come hard when you play an offense like that. The ball is out. It’s a quick passing game; it’s a controlled passing game. There’s not a vertical passing game down the field so it’s going to be difficult to get sacks,” he said. “I don’t look at sacks as much as I look at hits on the quarterback. That’s really important because you’re hitting the guy every snap. I think we got good pressure at times, but the turnovers we need to pick up. We need to do a better job of that.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Muschamp on controlling the ball and running the clock: “I’m very proud of being able to line up and run it when they know we’re going to run it and we’re still able to run it and take possession of the ball because we’re going to have some games where we’re going to have to do that. Where we’re going to have to slow the tempo down offensively and help our defense play good team football. That was what we wanted to do at halftime.”

» Muschamp on opening up the offense with some wildcat/direct snaps: “We install for the season. We game plan each week to win the game and do what it’s going to take to win the game. Each week we pull a package offensively, defensively and special teams what we’ve got to do to win the football game. We wanted to use some of those things this week. We felt like it gave us a good advantage to win the game.”

» Muschamp on redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley’s performance: “I thought John again played very well, did what we asked him to do within the offense. Again with some of the communication issues, when we had a couple guys go down, we have to iron out. The first person I’m going to blame is me. As a staff we have to get those things communicated better on the field. We’ll get together as an offensive staff tomorrow morning and find out what we got to do.”

» Muschamp on Floyd: “I support Sharrif Floyd. My issue – I stand by it 100 percent – that’s how I feel about the situation. I’m going to move on with it and we’re going to move on with it as the University of Florida.”

» Muschamp on junior RB Mike Gillissle’s touches: “Mike certainly brings some value to our team because he’s different than what we have. You look at Jeff and you look at Chris and they’re both speed backs, they’re both perimeter backs. We do run them inside purposely at times. Mike certainly is a guy that can give us some tough yards in the middle. We run a little different path with him as far as the inside power, the inside zones. He’s a downhill runner. Very pleased with Mike’s progress to this point.”

» Muschamp said he is very pleased with the effort from redshirt junior kicker Caleb Sturigs up to this point. He noted that Sturgis has hit from as far as 56 yards in practice but the team’s goal is always to get to the 35 because he is very solid from 52 yards out.

» Brantley on the heavy amount of running the offense did: “The running game was working. Our line did a great job opening up those holes for the running backs. If it’s working, stay with it. That’s Coach Weis’s mentality and that’s what we did.”

» Brantley on the game-opening flea-flicker: “We were working on it all week. We were hoping to get the right look and we did. I got hit on the play, so I really didn’t see much of it, but I heard the crowd cheering so I knew it was good.”

» Brantley on Floyd’s absence: “One of our brothers was down, and we just had to step up. The other defensive linemen, the offense had to step up to make up for that and we definitely missed him.”

» Rainey on his exciting performances: “I’m just doing my job and trying to score the touchdown for the team. I give a lot of credit to the O-line and the receivers because they’re doing a good job blocking out there.”

» Rainey on his quick moves: “I’ve been working on it a lot more – trying to cut fast and not slow down when I cut.”

» Rainey on taking direct snaps: “It was fun – the first time I was doing it so I liked it. I hope we keep doing it. You can see everything – you see like five different holes and you just got to choose one.”

» Rainey on how Muschamp relies on his mindset in practice: “When I’m happy, the team happy. They tell me if I’m down, they down.”

» Nixon on the offense’s ability: “It’s potential is limitless. We’re as good as we want to be any day. The only way we do bad is if we play bad against ourselves – if we mess our own game up with penalties, mental errors and things like that.”

» Burton on getting ready for SEC play: “These first two games help prepare the young guys for the SEC games because they get to get in, play, get a lot of reps. I know as a team we’re really excited to start SEC football. It’s going to be fun.”

» Burton on what he’s told freshmen about playing in the SEC: “I tell them it’s no joke. Every mistake you do they’ll capitalize on it. It’s a little faster. The guys are a little better. Just overall a lot more fun.”

Perhaps one of the most impressive players during Saturday’s game, redshirt junior sam linebacker Lerentee McCray is someone who has stood out all offseason. After moving from linebacker to defensive end upon arriving at Florida, McCray got the opportunity to move back to his old position and ensured that he won the job outright. “I’ve always been a well-conditioned guy, so running has never been a big hard task for me. Running is what I like to do. I like to run all over the field,” he said. “I just feel comfortable when I get the chance to run and tackle and hit people.”

The defense may have allowed only three points on Saturday, but McCray knows improvements can be made. “It’s always a big issue when we don’t get any turnovers. As a defense, that’s what we try to do, keep the ball in our offense’s hand,” he explained. “That’s going to be a big thing we’re going to do this week – stress turnovers, rips, picks, fumbles, stuff like that.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Brantley on getting the wide receivers more involved: “Absolutely. They did a great job Saturday night. We have all the confidence in the world in them and we’re just going to keep giving them the ball.”

» Brantley on not having to run the option: “It was cool. It was fun just giving the ball to our playmakers and seeing what they can do with it.”

» Brantley on redshirt sophomore WR Andre Debose: “Andre Debose definitely grew up and matured a lot in the past year. He had a great camp, worked really hard, and it showed on Saturday night. Hopefully he just keeps producing like he has each week. Just working hard – he goes out there every day with a great attitude and just tries to get better each day.”

» Brantley on the seniors picking orange jerseys for the season opener: “Us seniors kind of decided on it. We’re big fans of the orange jerseys I guess. We just like them. We just think they look good.”

» Sophomore tight end Gerald Christian on Brantley’s confidence: “He seems confident to me, way [more] confident than he was last year. I feel like all this worked out a lot better for him.”

» Christian on working with redshirt sophomore TE Jordan Reed: “We both can learn from each other I think, really two different type of tight ends. He’s real athletic, I’m a bigger guy, more stronger than him, and I think we feed off each other.”

» Halapio on playing “easier” opponents at home to start the season: “I like it a lot. We like it a lot as a team. It helps us to start fast and…just get all the wrinkles out of the mistakes that we had.”

» Halapio on his jersey color preference: “Personally I don’t like the orange. I like all blue.”

» Green on the offensive line’s starters being in flux: “It’s good competition. It keeps us right in practice every week. It’s also a good thing – we got three tackles that can rotate.”

As the only sure-fire starter in the secondary at this point, sophomore safety Matt Elam has a lot of responsibilities going into the season. Not only is he being counted on to perform at a high level game-in and game-out, he is also looked to as a leader by all of the freshman playing beside him in the secondary. “I really don’t have a choice but to be comfortable with [being a leader] because we’re young in the secondary,” he said. “A lot of people look up to me, so I have to abide by the rules basically and do my job. [...] It was a very difficult role because I wasn’t used to that, but every day I try to get better. I’m getting better every day. I was always the quiet guy, but something had to grow out of me.”

One of two players who will start at safety in the season opener, Elam still does not know who is going to play next to him but would certainly like to sooner than later. “It’s hard not knowing who is going to play besides you, but I just continue to push the other players so they can get better. I want to feel comfortable,” he said. “It’s basically feeling comfortable. Knowing the person next to you, knowing what kind of plays he’s used to doing and what he’s great at and things like that. [...] It could be a problem because you’re not used to playing with each other. You always have to have set starters so you can be comfortable. It can also help with energy; you get more energy and more enthusiasm with more people rotating in, fresh legs and stuff like that.”

HARRISON ACCEPTS THE PRESSURE

Moved over to a new position in the spring, redshirt sophomore center Jonotthan Harrison knows he will have to succeed as the man in the middle in order for Florida’s offense to work this year. The first player to start at center without the last name Pouncey in quite some time, Harrison accepts the pressure that comes with snapping the ball each play and is ready to take it head-on. “There should always be some kind of pressure to be a starter on a team, especially a team like the Florida Gators,” he said. “There is some pressure, but you just have to live up to the high expectations. To start on a team, especially in the SEC, there will always be pressure to be a starter.”

Discussing snapping the ball in particular, Harrison said that there obviously was an adjustment period for him but all of that has been worked out with time and practice and he can do it now without any miscues. “When I initially moved to center, I was having a little transition with the snaps and everything,” he explained. “Now I’m fine. We’ve got a lot of extra practice in and a lot of extra snaps after practice.”

Should he not perform, Harrison is aware that his job could be snatched up quickly. “Positions change day-by-day,” he said. “Whoever performs the best – the best five will play. Every day is a chance to get better, every day you got to perform at your best.” That mindset comes from offensive line coach Frank Verducci, who is forcing the players to play up to the level he wants on a practice-by-practice basis. “He has high expectations for all of his offensive linemen. If we meet or beat his expectations than he’s fine, but if he feels like we’re not living up to the expectations he set – that’s when he starts to get upset,” Harrison said. “If he has to, he will [get in your face]. He will do whatever he has to do to get the best offensive line.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Rainey on how head coach Will Muschamp has changed this week: “[He’s] more aggressive. He wants everybody to be mentally tough, focused and no putting around. It’s game week.”

» Rainey said all of the linebackers and defensive linemen hit hard but redshirt sophomore LB Jelani Jenkins is probably the hardest hitter on the team from his experience.

» Elam on freshman De’Ante “Pop” Saunders moving to safety: “Pop’s been doing great. I didn’t expect him to do so well because he’s never played the position, but Pop has been doing good.” He added that Saunders’s size is not an issue for the position.

» Elam on tackling redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed: “It’s very hard to cover and tackle Jordan Reed. He’s a very great player. He makes me better every day, and I make him better.”

» Elam on his excitement level heading into this season: “I’m way more excited because I have a lot more on the line, a bigger role and a lot of weight on my shoulders. That’s why I’m so excited.”

» Harrison on his expectations for the first game: “I would just like to see both offense and defense running as smooth as possible. I’d like to see all of us coming together and meshing as a team. We’ve been going against each other all through camp, so now it’s time to actually bring it together as a team and compete against other opponents.”

» Harrison on being ready to hit somebody: “I’m dying to. I’ve been itching to since Penn State.”

» Harrison confirmed what others have said, that the offensive line is very close both on and off the field. He said that the players being close in age has helped them communicate better and their friendship has really helped their production on the field.

» Harrison on redshirt senior transfer guard/center Dan Wenger: “He’s actually helped a lot. He’s been around the offense for five years going on his sixth year right now. He’s been able to point out little things that maybe the coach could not relate to us as well. He’s been able to help us out with that and it’s really helped the offense.”

Though FAU’s own head coach, Howard Schnellenberger, admitted Monday that his team is probably not going to win Saturday’s game against Florida, the players on the home team see things a bit differently. To them, the Owls are just like any other opponent that they will have to play at the top of their game to take down.

“I have a lot of respect for their team and the way they play,” redshirt sophomore linebacker Jelani Jenkins said. “They’re a hard-nosed team and they like to run the ball. They’re not going to come in here afraid of us, so we’re going to have to play to our best to beat them.” Redshirt freshman wide receiver Quinton Dunbar co-signed Jenkins’s thoughts. “They got pretty good athletes,” he said. “I feel like they got nice size, nice corners, so we just got to come out and play our game. We can’t slack on them.”

JENKINS LEARNING TO BECOME MORE VOCAL

With a relatively quiet demeanor off the field, Jenkins has been forced to have a loud voice on the field not only to direct his team during the game but also to help lead a defense filled with a lot of younger players. He says the transformation has not been “too difficult” for him to undergo this year. “We have a lot of checks, we have a lot of signals as a defense that force you to be vocal,” he said. “You’re always talking out there, always communicating, so it hasn’t been that difficult. [...] People count on you on the field to make a lot of calls, even off the field they’re always listening to you. The more you know the defense, the more you’re talking always helping each other out.”

LEARNING TO LOVE BLOCKING

When redshirt sophomore Jordan Reed was finally named a full-time tight end, he envisioned catching plenty of passes, making some great plays and hauling in some receptions for touchdowns. There was one part of his duties, however, that has been the toughest for him to learn thus far. “Blocking. I was a quarterback before, so I never had to be physical,” he said. “Now I’m learning to block and everything, so that’s probably [been] the hardest. I don’t think anybody likes blocking. You got to learn to love it, but you’re never going to like it.”

It is a good thing that Reed is learning to block well because offensive coordinator Charlie Weis loves to feature the tight end in his offense, something Reed is perfectly aware of. “From what I heard from the past about his offenses, I knew that he used the tight end a lot, so I was pretty excited,” Reed said of Weis agreeing to let him play it full-time. “I just got to go out there and make plays. Hopefully he’ll try to get me the ball.”

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SENSATION’s TIME TO SHINE?

Dunbar’s name has popped up over and over again throughout the offseason as the player who has stepped up the most during practice and training camp. He showed some flashes of his ability during the 2011 Orange & Blue Debut in the spring and is ready to contribute this year however he is needed. “Deep passes come into play,” he said, “but I’m an overall receiver – short, deep, medium – it doesn’t matter. I’ve been working on every route.”

Speaking about both the offense of himself and his personal goals, Dunbar believes the season opener can do a lot of good for the Gators. “[We just have to] come out clicking, with great timing, doing good to get ready for the season,” he said. “Personally for myself, it’s just to get one game under my belt, get game action and get used to game speed.”

He also discussed the advantages of having Weis on the field this year as opposed to up in a box watching the game from above. “He’s closer to the field so he can see some things out there that he probably can’t see from the box. That’s probably a big advantage,” Dunbar said. “This is a new offense, so [he can] continue to show us things during the game. It’s very helpful. If I see something out there that I don’t understand, I see the offensive coordinator there so I can ask him.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Riggs on redshirt junior CB Jeremy Brown (knee) missing time: “I’m sure it hurts him a lot. Jeremy’s a great player and we miss him a lot.”

» Riggs on Muschamp’s demeanor this week: “Still as fired up as always. He’s always trying to make us better.”

» Dunbar said that Weis is “an aggressive coach but at the same time he teaches you.” He recounted being yelled at by Weis a few times and said he usually makes a confused face that sometimes gets him even angrier.

» Reed said he was able to knock down redshirt sophomore LB Dee Finely once during spring practice. “It felt good,” he said, “but not better than catching the ball.”

» Reed said the offense is using “a lot” of two tight end sets with redshirt freshman Gerald Christian playing opposite him.

For “Mr. Versatile,” sophomore running back Trey Burton, there is only one thing he is scared of on the football field. “My worst fear is sitting on the bench,” he said Monday. “I told coach, I’ll do anything he wants me to do.” That is one of the reasons why Burton has accepted so many roles with the team – in order to stay on the field as much as possible and give the Gators their best chance to win.

Part of that versatility included Burton learning how to block when he is in the backfield. That has been a difficulty for him but something he continues to improve on. “I’m still trying to get comfortable with it because it’s a whole new different thing, especially at this level, it’s a lot harder,” he explained. “I’m going to always need to work on something, especially with stuff I’ve never really done before. […] Coach Weis tries to give everybody the ball as much as he can. You can’t touch the ball every play, so I have to be doing something else.”

Perhaps the most difficult thing for him to learn, however, is actually being handed the ball rather than taking it directly and running with it. “[It’s] a lot different. Probably the hardest thing I’ve had to work on this camp is receiving a handoff instead of just catching it from the center and running with it,” Burton said. “Last year we did a lot of reading defensive linemen and linebacker and stuff like that. This year it’s more smash-mouth football compar[atvely].”

“THE FORGOTTEN GATORS”

Motivation tactics are a dime a dozen these days, but junior linebacker Jon Bostic sounded genuine when talking about his team’s chances going into the 2011 season. Bostic noted that while nationally Florida may not be getting much respect, the atmosphere inside the locker room is one of hard work, top-notch effort and dedication to being the best the team can be this year.

“We’re not looking to back down from anybody. A lot of people are overlooking us right now, but we got to prepare each and every week to go play on Saturday,” he explained. “You can just see it. A lot of people from everywhere are just overlooking us. Everybody’s kind of like the forgotten Gators, you know. It doesn’t bother us at all. That’s how we’re trying to look at it. We’re trying to take it day-by-day, play-by-play.”

DEFENSE WORKING OUT THE KINKS

Following a rough scrimmage last week, Muschamp chastised the team for a lack of execution and making too many mistakes. Taking a look at the tape, Bostic said he understands why Muschamp was upset and thinks the team turned the corner at the end of the week.

“There was a lot of things that went wrong in the scrimmage. I didn’t think it was as bad as it was when I was out there, watching it back on film, but there was a lot of little mistakes that he gets tired of,” he explained. “A lot of people were still making those same errors from the first days of camp. He’s a little frustrated about that. We had a pretty good practice after that day. I don’t know exactly what it was, but a lot of people were making mistakes – even myself – but towards the end of last week we got everything fixed up and we’re ready to go.”

Bostic believes the younger players on the defensive side of the ball are really coming together in that regard. “At the beginning of camp, some guys were still lost because they were throwing a lot of things at some of the freshman,” he said. “Some of the guys came out a little confused, but you can see even last week a lot of those guys are picking that up and they’re not making the same mistakes they were making earlier in camp.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Brantley on if the fans will like the new offense: “I think they’re going to be very pleased. We’ve had a great camp, a great three weeks, and we’re excited just to get out there and play against someone else besides ourselves. We’re looking forward to showing our fans what new Gator football is doing.”

» Brantley on how he feels behind the offensive line: “Very comfortable. They’ve done a great job; they’ve made so much progress in camp and everything. I feel really comfortable behind them and trust them with everything.”

» Brantley on Weis’s specialty: “Coach Weis does a real great job of using what’s working. He’ll use the same thing until it doesn’t work anymore and then change it up.”

» Brantley on redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed: “He’s going to be a huge weapon. He’s one of the best athletes out there on the field. We’re going to put him in positions to make plenty of plays. He’s just going to go out there and keep going hard every play.”

» Brantley on former offensive coordinator Steve Addazio: “I think Coach Addazio is a great coach and a great guy. I respect the man so much. We definitely miss him.”

» Brantley on his favorite targets at wideout: “They all are, to be honest with you. They’ve all had a great camp and made plenty of plays. I feel very comfortable getting them the ball. Probably Deonte [Thompson] and Frankie [Hammond, Jr.] – I’ve been around them the most and feel real comfortable with them.”

» Bostic on the difference between new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and last year’s DC Teryl Austin: “The variety of stuff he brings to the table. He’s one of those guys who brings multiple types of defenses – we can do different types of things with the linebackers, defensive line, the buck position, he has a lot of different things he can bring to the table.”

» Bostic on Brantley’s composure: “A lot of stuff went wrong on the offensive side of the ball [last year], but he kept his head high. A lot of people are saying his confidence may be down this year, but I didn’t see that at all this offseason. I saw one of those guys who walked around with his head high, anxious to get back on the field.”

» Sophomore buck linebacker Ronald Powell on if he thinks his position is the most critical: “On the field any position is key because we all work together. It takes all of us.”

» Powell on seniors returning to the team: “It’s meant a lot to us for guys like [Brantley] to come back and step up as a leader. Along with Jeff Demps and guys like them coming back. They’ve been there before and they know what it takes. Now they’re taking over and leading us in the right way. [Brantley is] a lot more vocal. He’s really taken control of the offense and taken control of the team.”

» Powell on the practice after the “bad” scrimmage last week: “Guys were coming in and really getting focused. [There were] a lot less mental errors. Guys just really working hard.”

Sophomore defensive tackle Dominique Easley was praised throughout the spring for his quick first step, but his work this fall had not been discussed much until Wednesday when Halapio addressed Florida’s pass rush problems by noting that the youngster has been a standout in that regard.

“I think they all have gotten better in the pass rush, especially Dominique Easley,” he said. “He’s a real good pass rusher and a real good run stopper. They all have gotten better in the pass rush, but I think Easley is the best right now. […]

“He’s just relentless. Since he’s been here, I’ve never seen him tired on- and off-the-field. He just doesn’t show it. He plays relentless and runs to the ball. I’ve never seen him tired; he just has a great motor. He’s really explosive off the ball. I don’t know if he knows the snap count, but he’s just really quick off the ball. I can’t even get out of my stance and then by the time I get out of my stance he’s already in my path.”

Redshirt junior linebacker Lerentee McCray would not go so far as to call Easley the best of the bunch, but he did pay him equal praise. “Dominique Easley is a real close friend of mine. He’s come along real good,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better nose tackle to come in and play in front of me. […] I would have to say he’s one of the best; I wouldn’t single him out as the best, but he’s definitely a good pass rusher.”

“THEY’RE LIKE TWINS”

Though he performed well in 2010, Halapio feels even more comfortable in the Gators’ new offense and thinks, obviously, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has a lot to do with that. “He’s a genius. He just thinks of different ways how to execute a play real good – the easiest way to execute a good play,” he explained. “He’s just a real good coach. He just thinks of different schemes, ways we can run the ball, different ways we can pass the ball, different ways we can disguise this, disguise that.”

Halapio deals with Weis plenty, but he is around offensive line coach Frank Verducci more. Luckily for him, he cannot tell much of a difference between the two, which is probably a good thing for the team as a whole. “They’re like twins,” Halapio said of Weis and Verducci. “[Weis] says one thing and we hear it again with Coach Verducci in the meeting room. When we meet as an offensive unit before we start individual meetings, they both get up there and they’re both saying the same thing. They’re like twins.”

DEFENDERS EXCITED ABOUT SCHEMES

McCray and senior defensive end William Green will see significantly more playing time in 2011 than they ever have before and both players are confident that head coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s concepts will serve them well in the long run.

“As a player it makes you real excited and gives you a lot more opportunities to make some plays,” Green said. McCray co-signed. “This defensive scheme has helped me out a lot – just moving back and forth and just showcasing my talent and some of the stuff I can do,” he said.

McCray, who is slated as the starting SAM linebacker this year alongside junior Jon Bostic and redshirt sophomore Jelani Jenkins, is happy that his transition from end has gone smoothly. “I really feel comfortable pass rushing, but adapting back to the linebacker position has been coming along real good,” he said. “I’m real comfortable with our defense and all the schemes that the coach has. The blitz packages are working real good for me.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Koehne on when he knew things were clicking: “I was getting some compliments during film from Coach Verducci, so that was a good hint for it.”

» Koehne on his transition from tackle to guard: “It’s a big adjustment, especially going against the personnel that you face every day – going against Jaye Howard and Easley now instead of Ronald Powell. Those are two whole different types of players that I had to get used to and still am getting used to. There’s a lot of footwork change; every spot’s like a whole different world.”

» Koehne if he used to feel lost in the shuffle: “Every once in a while, but I just kept my eyes down the good path and I knew, if I kept working hard, I’d get a shot. I’ve capitalized on every opportunity I’ve been given.”

» Koehne on being named a starter^: “It was a great feeling. It made my family proud. It was a great thing to hear.”

» Halapio said redshirt freshman Chaz Green has been rotating at both tackle spots, giving junior left tackle Xavier Nixon and redshirt junior right tackle Matt Patchan breaks when needed.

» Halapio on Patchan’s intensity*: “Oh man, he’s…I think I told somebody this. When he runs off the ball, he’s just trying to poke somebody’s eyes out. He brings that nasty intensity offensive line character to our offensive line.”

» Halapio on if he is more comfortable being a leader: “I feel real comfortable. There are a lot of young guys on the team, a lot of players that are younger than me and they see me as a leader. It makes it easier because I’m older than them and they respect me.”

» Halapio on his advice to younger players: “I always tell them to get in the film room and watch the film a lot. I just came in knowing that I was going to start because of the depth and what we were going through last year. I knew that I was going to start and I didn’t take it as serious as I should have.”

» Halapio on the success of the Pounceys: “It feels real good to see all the former Gators doing their thing on the big time show, NFL and everything. I’m really happy for them boys; they deserve it. I still keep in contact with all of them. They wouldn’t’ big-time me like that.”

» Green on how sophomore Sharrif Floyd is playing at his new position: “He’s doing well at end. Things are a little different for him, but he’s made a good adjustment to it. End is different than tackle just because you’re in more space and you get different blocks at end. He had a learning curve there but he got used to it and is doing real well at it.”

» Green on his assessment of the defensive tackles: “They can be real dominant. All of those guys are real strong and real physical at the point of attack. We got a lot of experience with [Jaye] Howard and Hunter, so they can be pretty good this season.”

» Green on Bostic and Jenkins becoming more vocal: “Both of them have grown up a lot. They feel more comfortable taking charge, giving all the calls. I think they’ll both be a lot better this season.”

» McCray on who is working behind him at SAM linebacker: “Darrin Kitchens and Gideon [Ajagbe] – they’re ready to take on the role when their name is called.”

» McCray on whether or not redshirt sophomore tight end Jordan Reed is “tough to handle”: “Jordan Reed – I wouldn’t say he’s a load to handle – he’s got to handle me first. I play defense, so I like to take the aggression to the tight ends and let them know from the first play that they get on the grass that they’re going to have to deal with me all day. Coverage-wise, Jordan Reed is definitely a match-up that you got to take care of before you game plan. […] He’s definitely had some success. He’s a great player, so he’s always going to have success.”

» McCray said the offensive line has made a “drastic change since the spring” noting that it comes from a number of things including the “personnel, learning [of] the offense and their blocking schemes.” He also said the offense definitely “utilize[s] the personnel they have at each position. That’s one thing this offense does well.”

* Quote courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel. | ^ Quote courtesy of the Palm Beach Post.